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This paper is about save systems and will analyze save functions in various games. Save systems in games are usually blamed for harming the suspension of disbelief as it is an act taking place outside the game and should only be used for its intended purpose: letting the players store their game data, and progress whenever they need.

The game save function developed as rapid leaps of technology were made, with the beginning era of home consoles and home computers allowing players to spend more time playing, creating a demand for longer play sessions in games which lead to a need of methods for storing game data.

The analysis of save systems is carried out in this paper by using MDA Framework (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics), a tool used for documenting game design. This framework can be used to analyze a game from a designer‟s or player‟s perspective. By reversing the framework ADM (Aesthetics, Dynamics and Mechanics) one can analyze the user experience, which is how the player perceives the game‟s aesthetics to be, depending on the dynamics and mechanics.

This analysis aims to provide knowledge of how consistency in game design and the save system can be used to create a cohesive game world that facillitates the player's experience and immersion.

This thesis investigates the level of difficulty of puzzles in the adventure games and the implications thereof. The thesis contains an in-depth background, and a brief history about the genre. It brings up the main problem of the genre and looks into both the cause and effect that follows. To support this process, an analysis has been made of design documents and a survey was issued on the subject of adventure game puzzles.

In this report I am going to go through the process of creating the 3d graphics for the game Midnight produced at Gotland university spring 2010. Midnight is a real time strategy game who utilizes the rock, paper, scissor principal in the balancing of the teams. My main focus will be the pipeline of the workflow that was used during production of the graphics. What worked and what didn´t and how to make it more efficient.

In the method part of this report, I am going to explain how the pipeline looked and worked. The process that was used started with the production of concept art, turnarounds were produced and it was then modeled and textured. When it was complete, rigging and animation were commenced, and the artifacts were then put into the game.

The pipeline worked rather good later in the production, but was inefficient in the beginning because of other projects and courses colliding with this one. There were some problems with the structuring of the different teams. Everybody wanted to be a part of everything. This led to inefficiency. It could be resolved with stricter and better structure of the teams in the group.

This paper features an analysis of how some games are better designed for virtual reality than others and what we can learn from the games that work better to improve those that do not work as well. The thesis will briefly go through some of the problems in working with virtual reality. Data was collected by letting ten participants play four different games with the Oculus Rift and then answer questions related to their experience with these said games. Did the game cause the feeling of discomfort or create a sense of presence and did the game somehow break that presence? Based on the collected data and the analysis, the results indicate that some types of games work better than others for virtual reality, but that some design decisions can carry over to other games, granted with some effort, but that it is better if a game is created with virtual reality in mind from the start of the development.

Making 3D models with polygon modeling is the most common technique used for a 3D animated movie production, but there are also other good modeling techniques to work with. The aim of this thesis is to examine which of three chosen modeling technique is most appropriate to use for modeling a chair for a 3D animated movie production. I made three models of the same chair design and compared the results. The modeling technique used is polygon modeling, NURBS modeling and digital sculpting. A few factors were considered when I judged which one of the three techniques that was most suitable: The model's geometry, the workflow and the rendering (material and lightning).

The three chairs were rendered in the same scene with the same lightning and settings. The results showed that the model's geometry and how smooth it is to work with the modeling technique matter most for judging which technique is the most appropriate. In addition, the results show that how the light falls and reflects the surface depends on how the geometry was placed on the model rather than which of the other modeling techniques that was used.

Based upon earlier studies in the fields of psychology and game design by Frank and Gilovich (1988) and Yee (2007), this paper examines the influence of color on players of backgammon. The paper examines the probability of a player hitting an opponent’s piece when possible in backgammon depending on the color of the checkers. The data sample was compared using a t-test but showed no significant correlation. Based upon the results it was concluded that the Proteus Effect is not as effectively achieved through units in board games compared to avatars in virtual worlds.

My purpose with this paper is to find out how my workflow is affected when creating two products in synergy with each other, and if I can still reach a sufficient level of quality by my standards.

I chose to do my research during a transmedia project. By observing what happened during the project, I could compare my experience from this project with workflows normally used for animation in the games and film industry.

We spent the majority of the time alloted for the project planning how the two products would unfold, and how we could link them together in a way that benefited the project as a whole. We however did not get as much time in the production phase, which meant that I had to produce the animation in the order that I received the required assets.

My conclusion was that I appreciated being able to plan how the two products would work together, but that I and the team would have needed more time in the production to test our ideas.

This is a small scale research conducted by a Game Design student about attraction to a game concept of violent nature. A survey was executed and launched on social media such as Facebook to gain many participants in a short period of time. They were asked how attracted they were to the graphics of the concept and also if and how much money they would pay for a game like it. One of the most important parts of this research is that the participators are of a mixed group when it comes to age and gender, but also location, since these things tend to control our environment which in turn can shape a person and their morals. The results are presented in simple graphs and discussed together with results from similar research regarding violent games and how they affect the players and in turn society. Despite the violent contents of the graphics used in the survey, the most popular rating indicates that many participants are attracted to it and that they would consider paying for such a game.

This is the report on a study made to find a correlation between the Johari window and the games that the possessor of given Johari window enjoys to play. A Johari window is a graph that shows an individual’s ability to receive and give feedback. One obvious correlation was found between individuals enjoying role playing games and their possessing Johari windows showing a good ability to give feedback. The reasoning behind this is that the ability to give feedback is based on the capability to express oneself to the external environment, and that one would need to be comfortable with expressing oneself to an external environment in order to enjoy interacting with the narrative that takes place within the role playing genre.

For any animator either working in stop-motion or 3D-animation the knowledge of the first animation techniques are most important. For it is based on these principles that animation today can create such vibrant characters. With the extreme development 3D-animation has undergone the last twenty years it is easy to lose track of the old ways. But with this thesis a hope to show that it is these old ways that will take animation to its next stage. My aim with this thesis is to find out if it is possible to identify the characteristic features of stop-motion and apply these onto 3D-animation with purpose to create a more expressive style of animation. To be able to do this the method of this thesis is divided in two parts: the production and the perception. First the two work methods straight ahead and pose to pose are analyzed and the biggest differences are then identified. With this information two basic walk cycle animations are created, one with the work method of straight ahead and the other with pose to pose. These animations are kept as simple as possible so that all focus can be directed at the feel of the movement. In the perception part a survey is done where five participants observes the two animations and with a questionnaire answer how they perceive the differences. They answer which of the two they prefer, is most interesting and pleasant. According to the participants, they feel a difference and the majority prefer the animation done with the work method of stop-motion. They feel that it shows more personality and feel more natural. However the result is relatively even. My conclusion is that to achieve an animation that appeals to a larger group, a combination of the two work methods is optimal.

Wireless networks are inherently vulnerable for eavesdropping since they use radio waves to communicate. Wireless networks are therefore protected by encryption. WEP was the first encryption standard that was widely used. Unfortunately WEP proved to have several serious vulnerabilities. WEP could be circumvented within few minutes. Therefore WPA was developed as a response to the weak WEP. Shortly thereafter WPA2 was released and are now being used in present. The only weakness with WPA2 is in the subset WPA2-PSK when weak passwords are being used. Software could easily go through large dictionaries to verify if a password could be recovered. But that is time consuming and therefore providing wireless networks limited protection. However a new area of use with advanced graphic cards has showed that it is providing a faster way of recovering passwords than the ordinary processor on the motherboard. That opens up for the larger use of dictionaries and the processing of words or combinations of words. That is what this study aims to shed light on. How the efficiency of the graphic cards have affected security in wireless networks from a corporate perspective of view.

In 2011, I and fellow student at Gotland University created a multimedia game. To fit the time constraints a “vertical slice” was created. This means a small sample of the game is taken which allows the user to understand how the game works, and at the same time, get a visualdemonstration of how the game is designed. The goal of the project was to create a narrative for stadium games in which the backstory is told as players interact with their surroundings. Stadium games which takes place on one map with two teams fighting each other in a fantasy environment. Every step of the creation has been carefully documented throughout the entire project, which is the content of this report which takes you through the production of online games. The purpose of this report was to look over the design method that the group has been using to create the finishing product from an idea. It describes how they proceed with the idea, what thoughts the group members had under the process and also explains why they made the choices they did to continue developing the project. The result was a team-based online game called “Bane” which was designed to be played on a PC. The project wasn’t just about getting a depth of study in design and programming, but also to give the group the challenge to represent and sell their product and create a public involvement in their idea. The team has also been working on leadership and to divide all roles between them. They’ve also learned to work under a time limit and because of this been taking responsibility in which ideas that they would be able to developing and which ideas not to.

The aim with this study was to further understand the art of character design, in order to get a better understanding of how visual attributes - especially shape - can be purposely used in order to communicate aspects of a character's personality.

The first step was to investigate the subject of character design through relevant material and literature. From this investigation, a total of four character designs have been developed - two"good" and two "evil" - within two different game titles of different graphical styles: One that is more cartoony/stylized and one that is more realistic.

Prior to the production a number of work processes - production pipelines - used by artists in the game and movie industry were investigated. From this, the pipeline for the study was compiled.

To end the study a survey was conducted, in order to obtain outside feedback for the character designs regarding their style and what personality traits they were associated with. The results show that the majority of the participants perceived the characters in the way that was intended, while the perception of graphical style was a lot more varied.

This paper describes the social actions called ‘affective actions’ that are implemented in the prototype multiplayer game world The Pataphysic Institute (PI). An aim of this paper is to demonstrate how a game mechanic can result in a certain set of dynamics or play patterns. Affective actions are but one feature of the many that make up the game world of PI. In this paper, the feature is used as a vertical slice into the game design. The aim is to, by using this slice, show the founding the principles of the game, the play tests that informed the design, as well as the play patterns that were observed as they emerged in a series of game mastered play–test sessions.

21.

Eladhari, Mirjam P

Gotland University, School of Game Design, Technology and Learning Processes.

This paper is concerned with approaches to semi-autonomous avatars in virtual game worlds, and degrees of autonomy in relation to player-control. Approaches to semi-autonomous avatars can be divided into three groups based on the design goals of using them: relief, expression and impression. Players can be relieved of cognitive and operational load by for example automating the animations of body-language of avatars. Means of expression through body-language, types of actions performed, and reaction tendencies can express the nature of specific avatars to other players in the same world. Character-information available only to avatars' own players and personalised, subjective world-representations create individual impressions of worlds and avatars' parts in them. A shared aim of these approaches is to increase the believability of elements in the game worlds and the sense of presence and immersion for players. In this paper the prototype Pataphysic Institute is used to illustrate how expression and impression can be utilized by consideration of the implementation of possible characterising action potential of avatars.

The Pataphysic Institute (PI) is a research prototype multi-player game world. In PI, the personalities of the inhabitants are the base for the game mechanics. When interacting with other characters the potential emotional reactions depend upon avatars' current mood and personality. PI is built with inspiration from personality psychology and affect theory in an attempt to mimic possible emotional responses in order to give the player support in role-playing. The mental states of characters depend on their personalities and on their current moods. Moods differ according to context and to recent experiences. Emotional experiences become memories and define the relationships between characters. The mental state is the sum of the character and governs what actions can be performed in a given moment. In order to do certain things the characters need to be in certain moods — and for this the players need to game their avatars' emotions, and game their relationships.

24.

Eladhari, Mirjam P

Gotland University, School of Game Design, Technology and Learning Processes.

With the current set of design tools and methods available to game designers, vast portions of the space of possible games are not currently reachable. In the past, technological advances such as improved graphics and new controllers have driven the creation of new forms of gameplay, but games have still not made great strides into new gameplay experiences. We argue that the development of innovative artificial intelligence (AI) systems plays a crucial role in the exploration of currently unreachable spaces. To aid in exploration, we suggest a practice called AI-based game design, an iterative design process that deeply integrates the affordances of an AI system within the context of game design. We have applied this process in our own projects, and in this paper we present how it has pushed the boundaries of current game genres and experiences, as well as discuss the future AI-based game design.

26.

Eladhari, Mirjam Palosaari

Gotland University, School of Game Design, Technology and Learning Processes.

Because games set in persistent virtual game worlds (VGWs) have massive numbers of players, these games need methods of characterisation for playable characters (PCs) that differ from the methods used in traditional narrative media. VGWs have a number of particularly interesting qualities. Firstly, VGWs are places where players interact with and create elements carrying narrative potential. Secondly, players add goals, motives and driving forces to the narrative potential of a VGW, which sometimes originates from the ordinary world. Thirdly, the protagonists of the world are real people, and when acting in the world their characterisation is not carried out by an author, but expressed by players characterising their PCs. How they can express themselves in ways that characterise them depend on what they can do, and how they can do it, and this characterising action potential (CAP) is defined by the game design of particular VGWs. In this thesis, two main questions are explored. Firstly, how can CAP be designed to support players in expressing consistent characters in VGWs? Secondly, how can VGWs support role-play in their rule-systems? By using iterative design, I explore the design space of CAP by building a semiautonomous agent structure, the Mind Module (MM) and apply it in five experimental prototypes where the design of CAP and other game features is derived from the MM. The term semiautonomy is used because the agent structure is designed to be used by a PC, and is thus partly controlled by the system and partly by the player. The MM models a PC's personality as a collection of traits, maintains dynamic emotional state as a function of interactions with objects in the environment, and summarises a PC's current emotional state in terms of 'mood'. The MM consists of a spreading-activation network of affect nodes that are interconnected by weighted relationships. There are four types of affect node: personality trait nodes, emotion nodes, mood nodes, and sentiment nodes. The values of the nodes defining the personality traits of characters govern an individual PC's state of mind through these weighted relationships, resulting in values characterising for a PC's personality. The sentiment nodes constitute emotionally valenced connections between entities. For example, a PC can 'feel' anger toward another PC. This thesis also describes a guided paper-prototype play-test of the VGW prototype World of Minds, in which the game mechanics build upon the MM's model of personality and emotion. In a case study of AI-based game design, lessons learned from the test are presented. The participants in the test were able to form and communicate mental models of the MM and game mechanics, validating the design and giving valuable feedback for further development. Despite the constrained scenarios presented to test players, they discovered interesting, alternative strategies, indicating that for game design the 'mental physics' of the MM may open up new possibilities.The results of the play-test influenced the further development of the MM as it was used in the digital VGW prototype the Pataphysic Institute. In the Pataphysic Institute the CAP of PCs is largely governed by their mood. Depending on which mood PCs are in they can cast different 'spells', which affect values such as mental energy, resistance and emotion in their targets. The mood also governs which 'affective actions' they can perform toward other PCs and what affective actions they are receptive to. By performing affective actions on each other PCs can affect each others' emotions, which - if they are strong - may result in sentiments toward each other. PCs' personalities govern the individual fluctuations of mood and emotions, and define which types of spell PCs can cast. Formalised social relationships such as friendships affect CAP, giving players more energy, resistance, and other benefits. PCs' states of mind are reflected in the VGW in the form of physical manifestations that emerge if an emotion is very strong. These manifestations are entities which cast different spells on PCs in close proximity, depending on the emotions that the manifestations represent. PCs can also partake in authoring manifestations that become part of the world and the game-play in it. In the Pataphysic Institute potential story structures are governed by the relations the sentiment nodes constitute between entities.Because games set in persistent virtual game worlds (VGWs) have massive numbers of players, these games need methods of characterisation for playable characters (PCs) that differ from the methods used in traditional narrative media. VGWs have a number of particularly interesting qualities. Firstly, VGWs are places where players interact with and create elements carrying narrative potential. Secondly, players add goals, motives and driving forces to the narrative potential of a VGW, which sometimes originates from the ordinary world. Thirdly, the protagonists of the world are real people, and when acting in the world their characterisation is not carried out by an author, but expressed by players characterising their PCs. How they can express themselves in ways that characterise them depend on what they can do, and how they can do it, and this characterising action potential (CAP) is defined by the game design of particular VGWs. In this thesis, two main questions are explored. Firstly, how can CAP be designed to support players in expressing consistent characters in VGWs? Secondly, how can VGWs support role-play in their rule-systems? By using iterative design, I explore the design space of CAP by building a semiautonomous agent structure, the Mind Module (MM) and apply it in five experimental prototypes where the design of CAP and other game features is derived from the MM. The term \textit{semiautonomy} is used because the agent structure is designed to be used by a PC, and is thus partly controlled by the system and partly by the player. The MM models a PC's personality as a collection of traits, maintains dynamic emotional state as a function of interactions with objects in the environment, and summarises a PC's current emotional state in terms of 'mood'. The MM consists of a spreading-activation network of affect nodes that are interconnected by weighted relationships. There are four types of affect node: personality trait nodes, emotion nodes, mood nodes, and sentiment nodes. The values of the nodes defining the personality traits of characters govern an individual PC's state of mind through these weighted relationships, resulting in values characterising for a PC's personality. The sentiment nodes constitute emotionally valenced connections between entities. For example, a PC can 'feel' anger toward another PC. This thesis also describes a guided paper-prototype play-test of the VGW prototype World of Minds, in which the game mechanics build upon the MM's model of personality and emotion. In a case study of AI-based game design, lessons learned from the test are presented. The participants in the test were able to form and communicate mental models of the MM and game mechanics, validating the design and giving valuable feedback for further development. Despite the constrained scenarios presented to test players, they discovered interesting, alternative strategies, indicating that for game design the 'mental physics' of the MM may open up new possibilities.The results of the play-test influenced the further development of the MM as it was used in the digital VGW prototype the Pataphysic Institute. In the Pataphysic Institute the CAP of PCs is largely governed by their mood. Depending on which mood PCs are in they can cast different 'spells', which affect values such as mental energy, resistance and emotion in their targets. The mood also governs which 'affective actions' they can perform toward other PCs and what affective actions they are receptive to. By performing affective actions on each other PCs can affect each others' emotions, which - if they are strong - may result in sentiments toward each other. PCs' personalities govern the individual fluctuations of mood and emotions, and define which types of spell PCs can cast. Formalised social relationships such as friendships affect CAP, giving players more energy, resistance, and other benefits. PCs' states of mind are reflected in the VGW in the form of physical manifestations that emerge if an emotion is very strong. These manifestations are entities which cast different spells on PCs in close proximity, depending on the emotions that the manifestations represent. PCs can also partake in authoring manifestations that become part of the world and the game-play in it. In the Pataphysic Institute potential story structures are governed by the relations the sentiment nodes constitute between entities.

Character design is applied widely both in the game and movie industry. For character designers, it is essential to design intuitively and to avoid repeated and unfulfilling designs. To understand certain methodologies used in design, this degree project investigates if there are further limitations or considerations that need more attention when designing purposeful characters. To get an overview if culture, age and gender affect the choice of shapes and colour schemes of characters, as a method, the online survey was used providing results based on answers from 72 participants.

This thesis studies how one can convey meaning in games by utilising pictorial feedback alone. With the help of Peircean visual semiotics the signs for the case study Among Ripples are assembled and later analysed in detail. As a subtopic the thesis also explores if it is possible to embed pictorial feedback into the game world instead of having it superimposed. The results showed that it is possible to convey some feedback with pictorial means alone, and that the entry points for understanding are not the same between different people. They look at different cues from the pictorial feedback constructed.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how compositional techniques developed for fine art may be applied to 3-dimensional level design. It uses game design theory and best practices as a starting point and then investigates how graphic theory can be applied to further them by creating natural graphic focal points in a level, providing a set of tools the designer might use to graphically communicate with the player. The thesis investigates four main techniques used to achieve graphic control:

Managing hues and values.

Managing shapes.

Using linear and atmospheric perspective.

Managing levels of detail.

Each technique is linked to compositional theory through historical paintings which feature the techniques in question. Examples are then provided from contemporary games that testify the validity of using the technique in level design. In some cases altered scenes are also provided; over paints done in Adobe Photoshop exemplify how a technique may be used to change a scene’s meaning and convey other messages to the player. The conclusions and analysis testify to the value of incorporating compositional theory into level design and suggest further areas of research along the same line.

The thesis caters to the demands of the creative industries for products and contents which can be utilized for convergent media usage and cross-marketing strategies. In this regard character design serves as an important element of entertainment franchises since it is a means to produce media content with high recognition value. However, numerous character adaptations in different media formats illustrate that characters who are successful in one medium are not necessarily as successful in another media format. The thesis takes a closer look at characters in the context of media convergence and discusses the main principles of character creation and development. By favoring a heuristic approach which analyzes the aesthetic phenomena of arts and entertainment by the means of theoretical research which is supported by practical examples, the thesis concludes that character development is based on three dimensions which have to be combined in order to create characters which can be utilized for different media formats. In this context the work discusses character creation in writing, visuals and interactive media by focusing on ways which secure the successful transfer of characters into different media formats without a loss of character depth and quality.

This study is a response to the growing demand for more critical examinations of the video game as a communicative as well as interactive medium of mass culture. It reflects the game in regard to its potentials and abilities conveying a message to its audience and sets it into a broader discourse of mass communication. The analysis focuses on opinion forming games and their agendas whilst scrutinizing the methods through which certain messages are delivered to the player. The study is primarily based on qualitative research and analyzes the mechanisms of manipulation through examples with an emphasis on the mechanics and rules of the game, its visual aesthetics, its narrative structure and the emotional dimensions of the gameplay. The analysis illustrates that games are effectively used to render the image of war and to frame the enemy in a stereotypical manner in order to match certain political interests. They also function as a recruitment tool for the military as well as for political and ethnic fractions. In addition the study demonstrates the positive potentials of the medium by referring to serious games which offer complex perspectives and profound knowledge about certain topics and encourage the player to aim for creative and constructive solutions in order to finish the game successfully.

The results of the study demonstrate that video games can no longer be categorized as a subculture of entertainment for young men. With the growing acceptance of the medium as a part of mass culture its influence especially on young people had been taken into account by certain groups which made use of the video game to convey their messages to an audience. The analysis shows the inner complexity of the medium and gives examples for attempts to use its potentials by concluding that these efforts are far from being utilized fully. In this regard the study offers impulses for further research which should fill the void and explore the possibilities games provide and how we can make good use of them.

We propose an automatic news broadcasting system, which generates full-CG animated news-shows fromoriginal text formats from the Internet. This paper introduces the overall system and provides a feasibility test and workingmodel of the news show application generated from a HTML Internet news site. We also describe the future collaboration work.

We propose an automatic and intelligent news broadcasting system, which generates full-CG animatednews-shows from original text formats from the Internet. The news broadcasts are delivered to users on multipleplatforms in the language of their choice. Users are also provided with interactive and intelligent news services.This paper introduces the overall system and provides a feasibility test and working model of the news showapplication. The example shown is generated from a HTML Internet news site. We also describe the method ofconstructing a practical system. The future plan of action is to conduct large-scale experiments and field testsand thereafter implement research outcomes into the standardization of the next generation TV broadcast system.

We propose an automatic news broadcasting system, which generates full-CG animated news-shows fromoriginal text formats from the Internet. This paper introduces the overall system and provides a feasibility test and workingmodel of the news show application generated from a HTML Internet news site. We also describe the future collaboration work.

We have researched and developed a 'Virtual Museum' in an extreme high-definition real-time computer graphics system with a resolution of 4K and 8K (Super Hi-Vision). We have first developed a functioning test system, which exhibits Japanese artifacts 'Ukiyoe and pannel' in 4K resolution. In our system, the artifacts have been digitized in ultra high-resolution then positioned in a high-quality modeled exhibition space. A user can walkthrough in the exhibition space enabling to view the artifacts in a distance and also to get closer to observe its detailed surface seamlessly. With this method, we have successfully enhanced both sense of being there and sense of realness. In this paper, we first survey several virtual museums in practical use, then explain the detail of our system and introduce experiment results with discussion in comparison with the existing virtual museums.

We propose an 'Ultra-CG project' which promotes an extreme high-definition real-time computer graphics system with a resolution of 4K and 8K (Super Hi-Vision) which is more than the conventional HDTV. It is important for the project to study not only hardware and software requirements but also content creation methodology with which the content is displayed on extreme high-resolution display. We have first developed a functioning test system, which exhibits 'Virtual Museum' in 4K resolution to assess validity of our approach and clarify the tasks toward the further application development. The system consists of a PC with high-speed graphics cards and a 4K monitor. The real-time 3DCG software and all the CG models are built on Unity, which is a 3DCG game engine, used worldwide. We are now considering various feasible applications built on the system such as exhibition, entertainment, medical use and more. This paper describes the test system, discusses the future applications and collaboration of content creators and system engineers.

We have been developing T2V (Text-To-Vision) technology which enables to produce CG animation from given script. We have developed the application called 'T2V Player' and have been distributed it as freeware for years. The application works on Windows PC to produce TV-program-like animation from user input text using real-time CG and voice synthesizing technique, etc. In this paper, we introduce the prototype of 'T2V on UNITY' which has been developed from scratch on the UNITY game engine. We succeeded to enhance its function owing to the UNITY, such as multi-platform, availability of CG character data circulated on UNITY community, capability of applying T2V method to game development and more.

The purpose of this report is to analyze what went wrong with the adventure game project called Fairytale, I started together with 4 of my fellow university students at Gotland University, spring 2007. My ambition with this report is to enlighten problems in game design that arose during the game development process in order to prevent others from making the same mistakes.

The problems are analyzed according to game design patterns defined by Björk, S. and Holopainen, J. (2005). Patterns in Game Design. Boston, Massachusetts. Jenifer Niles. The game was exhibited to the public at Gotland Game Awards 2007, Leipzig Game Developers Conference 2007, Tekniska Museet 2007, Almedalsveckan 2008 and Gotland Game Awards 2008.

The results of the report show that redesigning already finished game features means a lot of troubles in relation to its dependency on other game elements. The key abilities of the main character were vaguely defined since the beginning of the project which caused problems with earlier designed levels whenever a new item was introduced. The terrain of the prior levels didn’t match the abilities of the new items, which forced changes to be made. The biggest mistake with this project was that finished game elements never were considered final.

My role in the project was the solo game programmer and co-designer. I shared the designing tasks together with Annika Fogelgren who also was the producer of our team. Albertina Sparrhult, Emma Johansson and Marie Viberg were our core graphic artists. Together, we created the Fairytale game.

This paper examines possible applications of fuzzy logic on the field of artificial intelligence in digital games. It describes fuzzy logic in contrast to crisp logic. The paper will give several examples of possible applications of fuzzy logic-based decision making for game AI. These examples include the choosing of weapons for AI agents and the gas-break decision of an AI-controlled car. The paper will also analyze the impacts of game AI which makes decisions based on many factors. It will detail how transitions between AI states can be made more fluid with fuzzy logic. The paper comes to the conclusion that game AI with decision making based on fuzzy logic and fuzzy sets has several advantages and disadvantages. These advantages include the ability for AI agents to make decisions based on many factors. Disadvantages include the increased complexity inherent in poorly constructed fuzzy logic based AI. This complexity emerges when too many variables are part of the rule description, and each variable has several different states. In these cases, an unmanageable amount of rules will be produced.

This study examines existing relationships between psychology and ludologi with focus on unification of human needs and challenges inside games. The results are represented in a graphical illustration of found connections. The most prominent material (used as foundation) is Manfred A. Max-Neef’s Human Scale Development and Ernest Adams Fundamentals of Game Design. This is a literature study that bases its results on analyzed comparisons between acknowledged authors and founders of accepted theories. Besides the graphical representation, conclusions of this study show the true difference between games and simulators. Conclusions also show that challenges in games can and should be divided into an internal and external category and also present a new definition of hand-eye-coordination in games and why it should exist. Further on, it defines the social challenge as its subcategories and separates reality from fantasy in games.

What are some of the methods for rigging and animating a face in 3D and which method is preferable when and under which circumstances? In this report I will examine a few of the different methods available when rigging and animating a face in 3D. I will be working mainly with Autodesk 3D Studio Max so some knowledge with it is preferable to fully understand the process. At the end of the report I will look at the positive as well as negative aspects of each method as well as which method is preferable in what kind of production or with which assets.

This paper concerns a study I did in which 39 people went through a virtual environment I built in Unreal Editor 3.The virtual environment consisted of five intersections where the playermade a choice about which direction he should go. Based on statistics and interview responses from the 39 people I have since come to a conclusion in the form of a hierarchy of behaviours that control a player through a level in a computer game.

This thesis addresses the principles of cinematography and their significance for the visual outcome of a film. The purpose is to examine the importance of the principles for modern film and this is done through a study on how the principles are used and not used in the films Children of Men and Clerks II. The two films investigated are both known for being experimental and modern in their use of cinematography, and was therefore found suitable for this thesis. The limitation with this study is that only the four main principles of cinematography are analysed: camera angles, framings, points of view and camera movement, and they are only analysed in one shot from each film examined.

In the results, the four main principles were investigated when and when not applied in the specific shot from each film. In the film Children of Men the breaking of the principle of point of view was most central, but the principle of framings and camera movement were in some cases also not applied. The only principle actually followed in this shot was the principle of camera angles. In the other film examined, Clerks II, the breaking of the principle of camera movement and camera angles was most central together with the breaking of the 180 degree rule. The principles that were followed in this clip were framings and points of view.

In the conclusion the results were discussed and also the possibility of effects on the viewer, when breaking the principles. Different ideas of possible effects on the viewer were presented, but they all had disorientation in common. The possible outcome of disregarding the principles of cinematography ended up being misleading the viewer away from the narrative.

This thesis aims to analyze the conventions of Character Design, and how one may innovate without losing visual communication. Focus is put on discussing stereotypical patterns as an inescapable but potentially harmful aspect of human behavior. The type of character being examined is the Mentor Archetype, as known in the Hero’s Journey, but also used throughout narrative in all its forms. A number of mentor characters from film, animation and video games are examined in order discern what common elements there are to the various depictions of mentors found throughout both historic and popular culture, and a small number of pictures displayed to prove points. The terms archetype, stereotype, cliché and sign are looked at, and their role in the area of Character Design examined, with support from literature and articles. The social, societal, psychological and philosophical ramifications of these terms and how they relate to Character Design and the audience are discussed with further support from literature and articles. Conclusions are drawn of the importance of innovation and the harmful nature of stereotypes, and new kinds of further research are suggested.

This paper explores the possibilities for believable game agents (NPCs) through the implementation of a Model Social Game Agent (MSGA). We present a high level model focusing on the conceptual framework for implementing MSGAs on a Second Life server.